Getting to school

It is your responsibility to establish which is the catchment school for your child and whether any travel assistance is available before applying for a place at that school.

Most parents want their child to go to a school which is within walking distance. Distances are measured by the shortest walking route, gate to gate, and the Local Authority (LA) can anticipate that a child will be accompanied by an adult where necessary, which is your responsibility. The law says that it is reasonable for children to walk:

• up to two miles (3.2km), for children up to eight years old; and
• up to three miles (4.8km) for children over eight years old.

If the school is further away than this you are probably going to need transport for your child, and we may provide financial help.

Help with travel costs for children in full time education is given from the start of the term in which they are five. We don't usually provide help with travel costs for pupils under five unless they:

• have a special transport need; or
• live more than one mile (1.6km) from the catchment area school and have a major special educational need.

By major special educational need we mean:

• the child has a statement of special educational needs
• a formal assessment of special needs has started; or
• the school is providing a lot of extra support for the child.

Home to School Transport Policy

Our Home to School Transport Policy (2007-2008) [DOC 124KB] applies to all pupils starting or changing school from 1 September 2007.

Home to Denominational School Transport

The rules covering home to school transport for denominational schools (faith schools) are slightly different.

Any pupils starting or changing denominational school from 1 September 2007 onwards will be covered by the Home to School Transport Policy (2007-2008) [DOC 124KB]

For such pupils, however, there will now be a charge for school transport.

The annual charge will be £250 for primary school pupils and £300 for secondary school pupils.

Pupils who currently receive free home-to-school transport to faith schools will continue to do so until they reach 16, or until they change school.

Other pupils may also qualify for free transport based on certain criteria.

The changes to our home to denominational school transport policy followed extensive consultation with parents, school governors, head teachers and others.

Find out more about home to denominational school transport, and the change to our policy.

Sustainable School Travel Strategy for Nottinghamshire 2007-2011

Access to education is one of the main life opportunities considered by local accessibility strategies and in recent years there has been an increasing awareness of the links between education provision and transport. Coupled with this, there has been greater environmental awareness and a desire for sustainability both in transport and education policies and provision. Schools have been encouraged to become eco-friendly and significant efforts have been put into the development of school travel plans.

Recognising these common themes and interests, Nottinghamshire County Council established a Children and Young People’s Transport Strategy Group in 2006. Bringing together education and transport interests, this group has made significant strides in refocusing the Post-16 Transport Partnership, researching the potential for a young persons’ concessionary travel scheme, and considering the various areas of common interest. The culmination of the Group’s work is the formulation of the first Nottinghamshire Sustainable School Travel Strategy. This responds to the requirements set out in the Education and Inspections Act 2006 and seeks to deliver greater sustainability in all forms of travel to schools and associated education sites.